The Luxury of Matt Shaw’s Versatility
The Cubs selected Matt Shaw with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, and he made his debut less than two years after being drafted.
While Shaw made the Opening Day Roster for the 2025 version of the Cubbies, he struggled to find his groove until after the All-Star break.
In the first half of action, Shaw had a .198 batting average and just two home runs. After the mid-season break, he had a .258 batting average and eleven home runs. This production opened eyes across the league, with many wondering if Shaw could blossom into a superstar with more experience in the bigs. This thought process was put on hold when the Cubs brought in superstar third baseman Alex Bregman to play the position Matt Shaw held a season ago. Many fans wondered how Matt Shaw would contribute to the 2026 iteration of the club.
Craig Counsell has made it clear the role that Matt Shaw will play this season by using him at five different positions during Spring Ball. With less than two weeks until the season starts, Shaw has gotten starts at right field, center field, third base, second base, and first base.
Personally, I was ecstatic when the Cubs signed Bregman. But I wondered what Matt Shaw’s future would look like with the Chicago Cubs. After seeing Counsell’s utilization of Shaw during the Spring, I know that Shaw will play a pivotal role in this upcoming season. The twenty-four-year-old will serve as a super utility man, allowing other players to rest when needed and giving Shaw vital experience in the big leagues.
The current Cubs roster includes many veteran players who will most likely need the occasional day off as the team progresses through the 162-game season. The players that I am referring to are Alex Bregman (31), Dansby Swanson (32), Ian Happ (31), and Seiya Suzuki (31). These four players all will need rest from time to time, and they all play in spots where Matt Shaw can fill in as needed. Not to mention that Nico Hoerner, who wants to play every day, will eventually be given days off by the skipper. Giving these players days off may not be the only advantage of Matt Shaw’s skill set; some of them might be struggling and need days off because of that. For example, Seiya Suzuki has struggled in the field historically, and Craig Counsell might elect to move him to DH and put Shaw in the outfield instead. Matt Shaw being able to give his teammates days off is an advantage for the Cubs this year, but his ability to be available in so many different areas will be imperative to his development as a player in the big leagues.
I imagine that the majority of Shaw’s playing time will be starting games in the outfield while Seiya is the designated hitter. But as I touched on earlier, he will most likely be moved around the field as time goes on. Is it unfortunate that Matt Shaw can’t play one position the entire season?
Some may argue that, but I think the regular playing time will outweigh the slight drawback of not being able to play one position consistently. Shaw is only twenty-four; the main thing he needs is experience. Luckily, Jed Hoyer has constructed the roster to give him plenty of opportunities to play this year.
This Cubs roster needs a utility man to sustain this long season. It is a role that many teams need, but only a few actually have.
This luxury can be relied on for the foreseeable future for Craig Counsell, and it will be interesting to see how Shaw develops into this role.
He proved last year that he can compete in the majors, and I am eager to see what more Shaw can show as time goes on.
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Categorized:Cubs